Garment-fastener.



W. L. WHITING. GARMENT FASTENER. APPLICATION FILED MAY 12, 1908.

996,181, Patented Ju e 27, 1911.

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WILLIAM L. WHITING, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO CHARLES H. KUEBLER, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

GARMENT-FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 12, 1908.

Patented June 27, 1911. Serial No. 432,492.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. WVHITING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore city and State of Maryland, have invented new and useful Improvements in Garment-Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improve ments in garment fasteners and more especially'to the type adapted for use in fastening trousers, plackets and for analogous purposes, and it has for its object primarily to provide a simple and improved device of this character that may be easily and quickly secured to the garment without the necessity of using stitching which, if solely relied upon, would soon cut and thus permit loosening or detachment of the fastener, the device according to my invention being so constructed and applied that a firm looking engagement is obtained upon the material of the garment which will effectually prevent loosening of the fastener, nor is the strain upon the latter liable to tear it loose from the material to which it is secured, the device when applied being free of relatively sharp exposed edges or projections which might wear or tear the material or be otherwise objectionable.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in certain improvements, and combinations and arrangements of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out particularly in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 is a detail view of a blank from which a garment fastener may be constructed in accordance with my present invention; Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the device formed from the blank; Fig. 8 represents a central sectional view through the device on the line 33 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the fastener ready to be applied to the garment; Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the manner of applying the device to the material of a garment; Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing the fastener locked or secured to the material of the garment; and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of an edge of a garment showing the fastener applied thereto.

Similar parts are designated by the same reference characters in the several views.

Garment fasteners constructed in accordance with my present invention are capable of use generally upon garments and in similar connections wherein it is desirable to fasten or secure together the different parts thereof, and it will be understood, of course, that the device is capable of being applied to various parts of the garment and that certain modifications or changes might be made in the detail construction, or the parts thereof may be rearranged in order to accommodate the fastener to the diflerent intended uses.

The fastener shown in the present embodiment of my invention is adapted to be constructed from a blank of sheet metal of an appropriate kind, a blank 1 being shown having an aperture 2 formed toward one of its ends and the material toward the opposite end of the blank is punched out to form a tongue 3 which is attached to the blank by a relatively narrow neck portion 4: and is provided on its free edge with a spur or pointed projection 5. The material surrounding the tongue serves to form a hook portion 6, the inner and outer edges of which are preferably curved or rounded as shown. In forming the fastener from a blank such as that just described, the blank is doubled on a transverse axis extending approximately through the neck portion 4 of the tongue and the parts where the ends of the curved hook join the body of the blank, the spur or tooth 5 on the free end of the tongue being bent approximately at right angles to the plane of the tongue, and the tongue is doubled toward one side of the body of the blank until the spur is suiiiciently close to the body portion as to admit a thickness of the material, this spur or point being arranged in alinement with the aperture 2 formed in the body portion of the blank. The hook portion of the fastener is also doubled toward the same side of the body portion, but it preferably stands at the same angle thereto with respect to the angle of the tongue so that the fastener may be locked to its cooperating member.

In applying the fastener to the garment or other article, an edge 7 of the garment is inserted between the body of the fastener and the tongue and the spur thereon, the edge of the material being fully inserted into the space between the tongue and the body portion of the fastener. The tongue may then be pressed by means of an appropriate tool toward the body of the fastener, it thereby compressing the material of the garment, and this tongue is of such a size and shape that it will enter partially or wholly into the aperture 2. By strikinv the locking tongue from the overlying hoo an opening in such hook is provided opposite to such locking part whereby a tool may be readily engaged with the locking tongue to force it into locking position. In pressing the end of the tongue into this aperture, the material engaging the tongue is also pressed into this aperture and a firm locking engagement is obtained by reason of the engagement of the material between the edge of the tongue and the cooperating edge of the aperture, the portion of the tongue 3 adjacent to the neck thereof being also pressed inwardly to form a shoulder 10 which firmly binds the material of the garment against the outer edge of the aperture of the body portion. In pressing the tongue and the material into locking position, the spur or pointed projection will pierce the material, and the protruding end of this spur or projection is then clenched against the adjacent edge of the fastener surrounding the aperture into which the tongue is forced. WVhen the fastener is thus applied, the hook portion is arranged at the proper angle with respect to the material in order to accommodate the usual cooperating member of the fastener. In applying the fastener to trousers and other garments, it is preferable to provide an overlapping thickness of the material as at 8, this overlapping portion of the garment extending to the edge of the portion 7 and thereby concealing and protecting the fastener.

By bending the hook portion of the fastener at a point slightly removed from the point where this hook portion connects with the body portion, openings 9 are formed through which the edge of the material which is usually folded may protrude, and if desired, a needle and thread may be passed through these openings and the material in order to stitch together the folded portions thereof and thus provide a neat appearance for the fastener as well as to aflord additional space for the introduction of the cooperating member of the fastener, thus avoiding wearing of the material at this point.

A garment fastener constructed in accordance with my present invention may be made very cheaply, as it is composed of a punching of a single piece of sheet metal which may be readily formed into shape by means of simple machinery, and in practice, it may be easily and quickly applied to the garment, it being necessary only to insert the edge of the garment between the tongue and the body portions of the fastener and to press the tongue toward the body portion until the tongue and a port-ion of the material protrude into or through the aperture in the body portion, the spur or pointed projection being finally clenched in order to lock the tongue, and the engagement of this spur or pointed projection with the material, combined with the frictional and clamping action produced upon the material by the edges of the tongue and of the aperture, will serve to provide an effectual hold for the fastener that will prevent its detachment by reason of strains imposed upon it, and the frictional engagement of the fastener with the material prevents tearing of the latter. In the present instance, the gripping edges formed by the aperture and locking tongue are endless or circuitous, and hence certain portions of said edges are substantially transverse to the length of the fastener. Consequently, the tension upon the hook which would act longitudinally of the fastener, is effectually sustained largely by the engagement of the material with the transverse portions of the gripping edges so that the fastener is not liable to pull off the garment. Moreover, the fastener after being applied, has no sharp edges or points that are unprotected and which might wear or tear the material.

I claim as my invention 1. A garment fastener comprising a body portion provided with an aperture, a looking tongue having a portion conforming in contour to the outline of said aperture and adapted to be pressed laterally into said aperture to produce a locking engagement on the material between the edge of the tongue and the adjacent edge of the aperture, and means to cooperate with the looking edge of one of said parts for retaining said tongue in locked position.

2. A garment fastener comprising a body portion provided with an aperture, a looking tongue having its edges arranged to register with said aperture and adapted to be pressed laterally into said aperture, a portion of the material of the garment being adapted to be pressed into the aperture and frictionally engaged between the edge thereof and the edge of the tongue, and a spur on the tongue arranged to pierce the material and adapted to be clenched upon the body portion surrounding said aperture.

3. A garment fastener comprising a plate having a hook portion and a tongue at one end, the tongue being punched from the hook portion, an aperture being formed in proximity to the opposite end of the plate and having an outline conforming to the outline of a portion of said tongue, the plate being doubled transversely to bring the free end of the tongue intoregister with said aperture, the tongue being adapted to be pressed laterally into said aperture to produce a binding action upon the material of the garment between the edge of the tongue and the edge of the aperture, and a spur formed on the free edge of the tongue and arranged to pierce the material of the garment and adapted to be clenched upon the body portion of the fastener to retain the tongue in locked position.

4. A garment fastener comprising a body portion provided wit-h an aperture, a hook portion and a tongue having a portion of a shape and size adapted to enter laterally into said aperture so as to occupy a position substantially in the plane of the edge of said aperture, a portion of the material of the garment being thereby pressed into said aperture and confined between the edge thereof and the edge of the tongue, and means for retaining the tongue in locked position.

5. A blank for garment fasteners comprising a plate having an aperture formed in proximity to one end thereof, the opposite end of the plate being curved, and having a portion of the material punched therefrom to form an outer rounded hook portion, a tongue being formed within said hook portion and provided with a spur proceeding from its edge, enlarged stitch-receiving openings being formed between the base of said tongue and the adjacent portion of said hook portion.

6. A garment fastener comprising a body portion provided with an aperture, a hook portion thereon arranged in doubled relation to the body portion, and a tongue also arranged in doubled-relation to the body portion and having a portion of a shape and size adapted to be pressed laterally into said aperture to provide a locking engagement between the edges of the tongue and aperture, openings being formed between the hook portion and the base of said tongue to enable the edge of the material of the garment inserted between the body portion and tongue to be stitched.

7. A trousers fastener comprising a body portion having a gripping edge extending substantially transversely of the length thereof, and a hook overlying and arranged in doubled relation to the body portion and having a locking part struck from said hook and of a size smaller than said gripping edge, said locking part being adapted to be moved laterally of the plane of the body portion and having a substantially transverse gripping edge to cooperate with that on the body portion to bind the material of the garment interposed between said body portion and locking part, the gripping edge of the body portion being located at a point removed from the doubled portion of the fastener.

8. A garment fastener comprising a body portion and a hook overlying and arranged in doubled relation thereto, the body portion being provided at a point removed from the doubled portion of the fastener with an opening having an interior gripping edge, part of which edge extends transverse to the length of said hook, and a bendable locking tongue arranged in folded relation with and connected to the body portion, said tongue having an edge of a size to enter said opening and cooperate with said interior gripping edge to bind the fastener to the material of the garment, a portion of said locking tongue adjacent to its point of connection to the body portion being ofiset to form a shoulder to cooperate with said transverse part of the interior gripping edge.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit-- nesses.

WILLIAM L. WHI'IING. Witnesses:

WVILLIAM L. BOYD, WV. R. BOURIE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

